Media, politicians and the general public are all buzzing about Rush Limbaugh’s most recent controversial remarks. Last week, the radio shock jock called a Georgetown University law student a ‘slut’ and ‘prostitute,’ among other unmentionable descriptions, because of her views on contraception.

Sandra Fluke, a student activist and law student, spoke at a Democratic Party event about her belief that Georgetown’s student health insurance plans should include birth control coverage despite the school’s affiliation with Catholicism. This sparked Limbaugh to initiate a series of slut shaming remarks and personal attacks against Fluke.

After posting an official statement on his website Saturday, Limbaugh apologized on-air and said, ‘I, again, sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke for using those two words to describe her. I do not think she is either of those two words.’

There is a whole world of wrong surrounded by Limbaugh’s comments and Republican candidates’ failure to strongly come out against his ideas, but this controversy also signaled a few key victories for women.

On Friday, President Barack Obama called Fluke to offer his support. He thanked her for speaking out on behalf of American women and said her parents should be proud of her. This not only reaffirms the president’s commitment to the issue of birth control coverage and women’s health, but it also emphasizes Obama’s rejection of misogynistic attitudes and willingness to specifically address these instances.

 Obama’s clear support of Fluke polarizes Republican candidates who have failed to take on Limbaugh’s comments in a more honest, serious fashion. David Axelrod, senior Obama campaign strategist, called Mitt Romney ‘cowardly’ after the Republican candidate said he would not have used the same language of Limbaugh. Romney’s focus on rhetoric and not strongly disagreeing with Limbaugh’s sentiments forces individuals to assume their political intentions are aligned.

After these comments, at least 33 sponsors have pulled advertisements from Limbaugh’s radio show, notably AOL, Netflix, Capitol One and Sears. This number increases by the day because as more sponsors dropped, more pressure is placed on corporations to take a stand against Limbaugh’s immoral and unacceptable lingo.

Sponsors have demonstrated their willingness to pull their advertising dollars to show their support or disdain for certain issues. This is a significant triumph in setting the tone for future circumstances, as advertising and finances dictate the majority of media content.

Social media played an integral role in strengthening public outcry and influenced sponsors to leave Rush in the dust. Websites like Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr are key players in shaping the ways in which cultural and political discourse ultimately play out.

The most significant victory that’s come from this entire situation is Fluke’s refusal to accept Limbaugh’s apology. ‘I don’t think that a statement like this, issued saying that his choice of words was not the best, changes anything,’ Fluke said on ‘The View’ on Monday. The student called Limbaugh out on his phoniness and confronted the truth behind his apology as sponsors continued to pull out ads.

Limbaugh apologized for ‘using these two words’ but refused to take responsibility for the rest of his sexist spiel, which included asking Fluke and other ‘feminazis’ to post videos of them having sex online because his tax dollars would be paying for it.

This is hardly an apology, and Fluke serves an important role in women’s rights for not only demanding more out of Limbaugh, but for also forcing society to expect more out of media, politicians and advertisers.

Krystie Yandoli is a senior women and gender studies and English and textual studies major. Her column appears every Wednesday. She can be reached at [email protected] or followed on Twitter at @KrystieLYandoli. 

Published on March 6, 2012 at 12:00 pm